Baffi: a bearded engineer who became an expert pizza chef

Who, or what, is Baffi? Baffi means 'moustache' in Italian and it is also the name that increasingly characterises Simon Koštomaj. The moustached young man is the founding father of the Radovljica pizzas about which, in record time, word has travelled outside the borders of Gorenjska. Located on the junction of Gorenjska cesta and Kranjska cesta roads, the Šmeks bar, which is also home to the Baffi House of Pizza, will be a newcomer among this year’s Taste Radol'ca restaurants. Hence, we paid a visit to the mechanical engineer Simon Koštomaj, who isn't just the founder of Baffi but also the young man whose face appears on all the signs of the pizzeria.

So, just how did a mechanical engineer find himself in the world of pizzas? “It's a long story,” begins Simon, after a moment's thought. A few seconds later he continues: “After finishing university, I worked for some time at the Maister Brewery in Kamnik. The owner and I were both interested in pizzas, so we began to make them in a portable pizza oven, which can be heated up to 400°C.” And that is how Simon Koštomaj began to acquire a wealth of knowledge about pizzas. To begin with he made pizzas twice a week, such that “all his family and friends had more than their fill of him and his pizzas,” he adds with a smile. And he initially used a tiny amount of yeast, then later he changed course and opted for sourdough.

Word about the pizzas he made with such enthusiasm spread through Radovljica, where Simon Koštomaj lives: “At that time Davor Krajnc, who runs the Šmeks bar, was actually thinking about introducing food, while at the same time he knew that to make it a reality, he needed to find someone who would run that side of the business.” And that's how in the area at Šmeks where there were once billiards, darts and the like, an area for pizzas began to take shape. But it didn't all go smoothly, continues Simon: “We bought a portable pizza oven and arranged the first opportune event. However, because the temperature in the oven wasn't correct and there were a lot of orders, the pizza oven wasn't up to the job. Everyone was waiting for their pizzas and the event was a total failure.”

The very next day, Simon Koštomaj set off to the home of pizzas, Italy, to be more precise to Naples, where he attended a 10-day course at the Associazione Verace Pizza napoletana (AVPN Napoli). “For ten days we listened intently to all the theory and also put our knowledge into practice making Neopolitan pizzas, then for the next three days we applied ourselves to making pizzas out of sourdough.” When he got back from Italy, Simon perfected his recipe for sourdough pizzas, fermented for between 24 and 48 hours. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when quarantine was in place and the country was pretty much closed, there was ample time to re-equip and design the area for diners, thus at the start of summer 2021, for the first time the aroma of freshly-baked pizzas could be smelt wafting from Šmeks.

So, how will the pizzas at the forthcoming Taste Radol'ca November take on a local, Gorenjska characteristic? “We will introduce Slovenian delicacies in a slightly different way, our way. They won't be pizzas as we know them,” said a somewhat secretive Simon Koštomaj prior to the start of the Month of Local Cuisine. He's somewhat more talkative about what kind of company he, a newcomer on the culinary scene, finds himself in among those participating in Taste Radol'ca: “I'm overjoyed that we have managed to attract attention in such a short time. We've proved that pizza isn't just fast food, but it can stand alongside Radovljica's other successful culinary stories.”

And there's no lack of them – after all, Radovljica is also home to Hiša Linhart, which was awarded a Michelin Star this year, and in addition numerous other tasty and well known culinary stories can be found in Radovljica and its surroundings: Gostilna Avguštin, Gostišče Tulipan, Gostišče Draga, Gostilna pr' Tavčar, Restavracija Tabor and Restavracija & Lounge Bar Manu.

Incidentally, Baffi, together with the aforementioned restaurants that are included in this year's Taste Radol'ca, will kick off this year's event with a market and joint dinner, which will take place on Friday 28th October at Gostilna Avgustin. Both Baffi and Restavracija & Lounge Bar Manu are newcomers to Taste Radol'ca, though chef Martin Gluščič, who runs the kitchen at the latter, is no stranger to Taste Radol'ca, since he previously took part in it when he headed up the kitchen at Restavracija Center in Lesce.

1If are are tempted to have a go at making your own pizza, here's a recipe with added Radovljica ingredients. The method for making the pizza was sent to Špela's Larder by Simon Koštomaj from Baffi.